Underwood’s research focuses on genetic information in plants and how it is passed on from one generation to the next. ’Like humans, most plants reproduce sexually and half of the genetic information is contributed from either parent. We explore how sexual plants, including the important crop tomato, recombine their chromosomes during reproduction to generate genetically diverse cells (the egg and sperm) that contain half of the chromosome number,’ says Underwood. ’We are also interested in how a minority of plant species, including the common dandelion, reproduce through clonal seeds, that are genetically identical to the mother plant, by a process called apomixis.’ His research transcends cell biology, genetics, genomics and agricultural sciences, allowing him to make use of fundamental knowledge in the development of novel biotechnological approaches to expedite plant breeding. ’Plant genetic diversity plays a key role in adaptation to changing environments. We seek to develop approaches that allow natural genetic diversity to be fully harnessed in breeding’.
Underwood has worked at the forefront of plant genetics research in academia and industry, and is excited to build up a research group focusing on plant genomics and biotechnology at Radboud University. ’We have recently entered the age of complete genome sequences and precise genome editing. These developments lay the foundation for tackling fundamental questions and applied problems in plant genetics in ways that were unthinkable just fifteen years ago.’